


The Art of Being Oblivious

by the_chaotic_lesbian (orphan_account)



Series: The Art of Being Mike Wheeler [4]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Background Relationships, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 03:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21403774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/the_chaotic_lesbian
Summary: Mike may love his friends, but he can't recognize emotions to save his life.~~~Or, four different relationships and how they happen
Relationships: Dustin Henderson/Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair/Mike Wheeler, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Will Byers & Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Series: The Art of Being Mike Wheeler [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1528955
Kudos: 39





	The Art of Being Oblivious

**Author's Note:**

> Once again dedicated to Jess, as all my ST fics are. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Scenario One: 

Realizing he was in love with Eleven is perhaps the easiest realization he’s had in awhile. 

Sure, they’ve dated. Mike remembers the days spent in her room, talking and singing and occasionally kissing, but their relationship has been so on and off over the years that he’s come to accept that perhaps it isn’t meant to be. 

Except one day, she comes over to his house. She gets to see the basement she had spent days in, so long ago. Her eyes - wide and brown - are so full of wonder and she doesn’t say anything, taken aback in memory, and Mike watches her and his heart flutters. 

He realizes he’s in love. 

After that, things become easier. Sure, they’re still not officially dating again, but after school when he walks with her to the theater, he can’t keep the smile off of his face. He babbles about everything and nothing and it’s so much easier but at the same time so much harder? Because now… now, he has to worry about what he’s saying. He’s suddenly so self-conscious, because what if he does something wrong? 

In the end, he doesn’t do anything. Perhaps he’s left one too many lingering looks, perhaps he’s been flustering far too easily in recent memory. Either way, he hasn’t been bold enough to act on his feelings - not with the awkward memories shared between them - but Eleven has a way of just  _ knowing  _ what he’s thinking. 

“Mike,” she says, and there’s a look in her eyes. They’re alone, standing in an empty hallway, and Mike’s going to be late to theater but he forgets all about that right then. Something is there in her voice - a longing he hasn’t heard in ages, soft and sweet and he’s melting in place right where he stands. 

“El,” he manages to say in response, but his voice is weak and cracking, as if all the emotion he’s been repressing is spilling out of the single word. 

There’s no kiss, no intimate touch. Just a look shared, and for some reason it makes Mike feel more exposed than any romantic gesture. It’s an understanding. Dustin had talked about feeling the sparks fly before, and Mike didn’t understand fully until now. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario Two: 

It's a spring day when Dustin and Lucas abandon him alone with Will in his basement. 

Recently, Will's been avoiding Mike, for some odd reason. Mumbling excuses to get out of hangouts, skipping lunch, etcetera. Now that musical season is over, there's no need for him to hang around the drama club either, so Mike goes weeks on end not seeing him around. It's  _ weird.  _

Truthfully, Mike doesn't understand why. 

Pulling Will into a Saturday spent in their designated hangout is unexpected, and Mike has no clue how Dustin managed to do it. The tension in the air is heavy and palpable, and Will looks uncomfortable and awkward and Mike doesn't understand  _ why.  _

(He doesn't understand why he cares so much.) 

(Is it because Will is his oldest friend?) 

Dustin and Lucas take the opportunity to both dart up the stairs, sometime in the afternoon, leaving a confused Mike watching Will stare at the ground. 

"Will," he finally gains the courage to say, "why have you been avoiding us?" 

Will doesn't answer, he's still staring at the ground. 

Being ignored makes something snap inside of him, and Mike jumps up, taking advantage of his extra inches to tower over his friend. 

"Seriously, what's wrong? Did I do something dumb? You can  _ tell  _ me when I do something dumb, you know that right?" 

"You didn't do anything," Will finally says, and now he's looking up, neck craning. He looks so tired, like he hasn't been sleeping, "not intentionally." 

Mike's heart is racing, "what does that mean?" 

Will stands to match him. Over the years, he's grown enough that he's only a couple inches shorter than Mike, and they're only inches apart now. 

"You're so  _ stupid,  _ Michael Wheeler," Will says, and before Mike can react to the usage of his full name, Will's leaning upwards and kissing him. 

Oh. 

_ Oh.  _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario Three:

"I'm totally gonna beat you there!" 

"In your  _ dreams  _ Wheeler!" 

Mike pedals hard, but the combination of his lack of stamina and Lucas's athletic prowess easily puts the other boy in the lead. Mike huffs, does his best, but when they reach the mall Lucas is still painfully in first place. 

Having one on one time with one of his friends is… unusual. However, Lucas wanted to buy Max a present after she had broken up with him again. Obviously, she couldn't come, Will and El were getting in some "family bonding" with Joyce and Hopper, and Dustin was  _ sick  _ which meant that it's just the two of them. 

The mall is just as large as Mike remembers it, and he accompanies Lucas in with a fair amount of shoving. He may or may not have been using his height to gloat - he's several inches taller than Lucas, and Lucas remains bitter about it even now. 

"Okay, what are we looking for again?" Mike asks, once they somehow both survive to stand at the mall's center. 

Lucas shrugs, and for some reason he's not looking at Mike in the slightest. "Something that screams Max?" 

Mike scoffs at this, "I have no clue what she likes!" 

Lucas rolls his eyes then, "just come on. I just need an extra pair of eyes. You can handle that much, right?" 

Mike huffs, and follows. 

They wander around the mall for hours. During the time, he spots plenty of things he would like, but nothing jumps out as "Max" to him. He and Lucas end up splitting up to cover more ground, but he comes back empty handed. 

Lucas, however, has a bag clutched in his hand, and a slightly nervous look on his face. 

"You got something!" Mike exclaims, "let me see!"

The bag is handed over, and he examines the contents. It's… 

A leather journal, decorated in delicate red and blue spirals etched into the leather, tied with a sash. It's absolutely beautiful, and Mike unties it to flip through the pages, in awe. 

"This is…" 

"It's for you." 

_ Wait what?  _

Mike snaps his gaze up to Lucas, who still looks anxious but proud at the same time. "I broke up with Max, not the other way around. And that was months ago. The Byers aren't bonding, they helped pitch in enough money to buy this. Dustin really is sick though, but he also sends his luck." 

Mike swallows, because  _ what the fuck? Is happening?  _

"Is this a date?" He asks, and he can see how nervous Lucas is past the faux confidence, "did you ask me here on a date?" 

"Yeah no  _ shit  _ Wheeler." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario Four:

"Dude," Dustin moans, draping himself across his couch, "can you believe this? I can't believe this." 

"I  _ know _ ," Mike groans, sounding as scandalized as he feels, "I can't believe I didn't see this coming. I can't believe neither of you told me!" 

"To be fair," Will says shyly, from his position perched on Lucas's lap, "I didn't really know it myself." 

Lucas smirks smugly at them all, resting his head above Will's. "I can't believe I got so lucky," he declares, and Will blushes scarlet, turning his head to press it against Lucas's shoulder. It's annoying in the most endearing of ways. 

With Max and Eleven also openly dating, Mike feels a little left out. Evidently, so does Dustin. 

"That's not  _ fair," _ he complains, shifting his position so that his head is in Mike's lap, "how do you have a partner before me? How did  _ you  _ persuade our Will to be your boyfriend?" 

"He didn't persuade me to do anything!" Will exclaims, even as Lucas smirks and boldly proclaims, "I think you're just jealous." 

"Jealous?!" Dustin sputters, "me? I'm not jealous of you!!!" 

Mike wants to move, he feels so awkward now, but Dustin has him thoroughly trapped in place. Dustin, who's having some sort of staring contest with Lucas, like they're having a silent conversation with only their eyes. 

"Jealous." Lucas says again, pointed and smug. 

Dustin sits up then, finally, and returns the look, "not jealous. Here, I'll prove it." 

And suddenly Mike is being kissed. 

It's quick and sudden, an awkward angle making it awkward and clumsy and possibly the weirdest kiss Mike's ever experienced. It's over quickly, and Dustin is right there, in his face, eyes wide and longing. 

Lucas and Will are both cheering in the background, but Mike hardly notices as he leans back in. 

  
  



End file.
